“Bless Me, Ultima,” based on Rudolfo Anaya’s best-selling Chicano novel of all time, will be released to more than 200 theaters across the nation this February 22.

The film adaptation of Bless Me, Ultima, rated PG-13, is an important milestone in movies with topics focusing on Latino families since this Mexican-American coming-of-age book has been banned or challenged from being taught at many schools or offered in some libraries because it contains adult language. The movie version now brings this important story to a new audience and in a new medium that allows Anaya’s characters to truly shine.

I received a screener copy of the movie and, not having had a chance to read the book yet, was mesmerized by the beautiful relationship between Antonio, 6, and Ultima, the curandera (medicine woman) that helped him come to this world and has remained his spiritual guide.

The character of Ultima brought me back to my days in Mexico and of meeting so many special people like her that embodied the spiritual richness and contrasts of the country. Ultima is a healer, a mentor, a wise woman that bridges the physical, natural and spiritual worlds. She’s also a fierce warrior and defender of that which is “good” and sacred.

Click here to continue reading…

Planned Bilingualism: Five Questions to Consider by François Grosjean from Psychology Today — Another useful article from Prof. Grosjean perfect for those just about to embark in the journey of raising a bilingual child.

Surge in immersion programs spreads from the Star Tribune — In Minnesota, the number of dual language immersion programs has doubled since 2006 with a total of 85 at the elementary and middle school level, with some programs even in high school. Reading stories like this one is like music to my ears!

Stolz, Amerikaner zu sein (Proud to be an American) from The Economist — For all those who ask why Latinos can’t be like all other immigrant groups and just learn English and forget about Spanish, this is a MUST READ! The description of how how Germans used to live in small-town America decades ago, sounds eerily familiar to how Latinos live in not so small-town America today.

Speak Spanglish, Baby from Vida de Latinos — Check out the interview about bilingualism, SpanglishBaby and blogging, Ana did for this very cool website for and about Latinos in Singapore.

Note: Up until now we never wrote on this blog or our Facebook change who our candidate was or which party we endorsed because this site is not about politics. But now that the election is over, I have many thoughts I want to share. Thanks for this space.

We always try to stay away from politics in SpanglishBaby, but it’s unavoidable to talk about the most important event in our recent history: the reelection of our first African-American President, brought by in large part thanks to the 70-75% of Latinos that voted for Obama.

That’s huge.

It’s huge not only because we can claim to be the largest minority, but because we’re not a sleeping giant; we came out in masses to vote for what the majority of us believe in. We claimed the right to be recognized, heard and have Washington create and vote on policies that affect our community and thus our nation.

I’m proud to be American. I’m proud to be part of the 16% of the population that identifies as Latina. I’m proud to be a Latina mom. I’m proud to be the mom of a girl of mixed-heritage that has the opportunity to learn in two languages because the parents and administration in our district believe that California’s ban on bilingual education is wrong, and we’ve found a way to ignore it.

Regardless of your political affiliation or vote, I hope that you recognize the beauty in our community coming together and voting for what our children need.

I do hope that it doesn’t just stay on hope. I now have faith that Latinos will keep making a presence and keep putting pressure to get important reforms, such as the Dream Act, passed and make those we voted for accountable for their constituencies. We can’t be brushed aside anymore. We want real change. We want real access to education for our children. We want our heritage language — and all others — to be valued without it ever having to be seen as a threat to the English-language, but as a complement.

Not only that, we want a #LatinaPrincess (or, yes, a #LatinoPrince too!). We want our books to not be banned anywhere. We want Latinos in college — the largest minority group in higher education — to have everything they need to succeed and propel our nation forward. We want to coexist.

And now we’ve spoken. ¡Que así sea!

And now back to our regularly scheduled {awesome} content to make your raising bilingual and bicultural kids journey a whole lot more fun, easy and successful! If you’re new, grab a cafecito and start here.

If there’s one bill I wished I could just pay off for once and for all, it’s my student loan. Back in 1991 when I applied for my first loan, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it was really my only option at the time because my parents hadn’t really saved or set aside any funds specifically for college.

Now that my girl has finally started Kindergarten, I’m actually starting to feel guilty that my husband and I haven’t opened a college fund for her yet and repeat the pattern. I’ve always been of the thought that I need to have my nest egg taken care of first because there are no loans for retirement, but that hasn’t really taken off either. So, I keep going back to wanting to learn more about our options for college savings.

Luckily, a couple of weeks ago I was invited to have dinner with some folks from ScholarShare, California’s 529 college savings plan, and I learned so much that I was motivated to finally open Camila a college fund using the payment she received from her appearance on the Disney Junior Hispanic Heritage Spots. We’ll start out by putting her first official paycheck to great use now, during the official College Savings Month

What I learned from ScholarShare is that there’s really not much of a loss scenario when you invest in your child’s future. It has been documented that children who know they have a college savings plan to their name are most likely to attend college, and that alone pushed me over the edge to start saving right away since all anyone really needs is $25 to open a ScholarShare account. I am definitely amongst the 93% of Latinos who believe, according to a survey conducted by Hart Research Associates, that it’s “very important” that my girl attend college, so I definitely must start planning now.

ScholarShare left it very clear that the only beneficiaries for the money are those we assign and it can only be withdrawn with no tax payments  if it’s related to college or qualified higher education expenses. If my girl decides she doesn’t want to go to college, then that money can be withdrawn by me for any use, but with income tax payments. In any case, I still regain control of who the funds are spent, since it’s not like she’ll be able to withdraw for anything other than education-related expenses.

If you’re curious to learn more info on 529 plans in general and ScholarShare in specific:

Named for the section of the IRS code under which they were created, 529 plans are highly regarded for their tax-advantaged status.  Earnings on investments grow tax-deferred, and disbursements, when used for tuition and other qualified higher education expenses, are federal and state tax-free.  ScholarShare accounts may be opened with as little as $25, or $15 when combined with regular, automatic monthly contributions of at least $15

ScholarShare accounts can be opened online at www.scholarshare.com.  For information about the SIB, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare.  ScholarShare is on Twitter and Facebook. And make sure to visit Facebook before September 26 to enter their “Share  Your Story” sweepstakes and have a chance to win one of two $1529.00 prizes to get you going on the road of college-savings success.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored article, but all opinions and stories are completely my own.

Before I share “Facundo the Great” with you, let me tell you a little about StoryCorps – because what they do is pretty amazing. StoryCorps is an independent non-profit and since 2003 they have been collecting true stories, oral histories, from Americans of all backgrounds. The stories are recorded during interviews, and each participant (80,000 so far!) receives a free CD to keep and pass down to future generations. Each of these stories is also preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and many are broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition.

What is the point of recording these stories? StoryCorps explains, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.”

I’ve known about this project for a few years and really love it. When I listen to the stories, I have a tendency to become completely absorbed in them because the recordings are so intimate and special each in their own way.

This one I’m going to share with you was animated and while it talks about the very serious topic of how Latinos were once forced to Anglicize their names here in the United States, it turns out to be really humorous as well. The story is about Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez who was “raised in a small farming community in southern California in the 1950s. As was common practice at that time, teachers at his local elementary school Anglicized the Mexican American students’ names. Here, Chunky remembers a new classmate who proved to be the exception to the rule.”

StoryCorps is looking to create their first full-length animation special for TV – If you want to help make that happen, you can check out their Kickstarter page.

In the meantime, you can find many more stories on StoryCorps.org, or perhaps you or a family member have a story to tell? (Maybe your parents or your abuela?) Find out how you can be a part of the project.

What story would you tell?

Season 43 of Sesame Street premieres on Monday, September 24th on PBS Kids and we were excited to see that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an inspiration to all women and Latinas, will be making her second appearance on the show. This time around, she’s on the “Word on the Street” segment talking about the word “Career,” perfectly suited for the beloved “Wise Latina.”

The new season will feature an exciting segment, “Elmo: The Musical!”, a new S-T-E-A-M curriculum, and visits from guests including Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Amy Ryan, Casey Affleck, Melissa McCarthy, Steve Carell, Jon Hamm, Eric Stonestreet, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce, Timothy Olyphant, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Blake Griffin, Matt Kemp, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Kristen Bell, Paula Patton, Mario Lopez, Wendy Williams, Colbie Caillat, rock band Train, Common, and more.

As soon as I read the press release, my thoughts wandered to recollecting all the Latinos who have made a celebrity VIP appearance on Sesame Street throughout its last 42 seasons. The list I compiled is truly amazing and I share it with you below and for easy reference as a list of Latinos on Sesame Street on our You Tube channel (which, by the way, you should be subscribed for fun videos that celebrate our cultura and el español!!) Scroll through these videos with your child and let’s celebrate Latinos on Sesame Street!

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Elmo

Rico Rodriguez and Elmo: Magnify

Gustavo Dudamel and Elmo: Stupendous

Juanes Sings “Muévete

Sofía Vergara: Baile

Jessica Alba and Elmo

Cameron Díaz: Habitat

George López with Elmo and Abby: Liquid

Zoe Saldaña and Elmo: Transportation

Natalie Morales and Abby: Floats

Eva Longoria and Elmo: Exquisite

John Leguizamo is Captain Vegetable

Celia Cruz Sings Songo’s Song

Gloria Estefan and Rosita Sing a Song

Joe Torres and Elmo: Walk

Tito Puente

{Photo by: cliff1066™}

As I mentioned last week, NPR is dedicating the next few days to a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. about bicultural Latinos and their impact on education, technology, religion and entertainment.

The first part in the series about the town of West Liberty in Iowa and how the majority of its population is Latino aired earlier today in Morning Edition. The story, along with an interactive map of how Latinos are reshaping communities are both available on NPR’s website. (Be forewarned, as usual, not all the comments are pleasant or even informed.)

By the way, I must say I was astounded on Friday when NPR teased the series on their Facebook fan page saying it would be exploring bilingual life in the U.S. and asked how English and Spanish affected the lives of its fans. The prompt got over 1,000 comments. My surprise was not with the racist and ignorant comments – sadly, I’ve become used to those already – but with the many, many people who supported bilingualism and shared their own stories of growing up or raising kids with two languages. Bravo!

The fact that NPR is dedicating a whole week to this series speaks volumes of what it means to be the largest minority in this country, 50.5 million and counting. It should also serve as a reminder that Latinos have been here since before this country officially became the United States and that regardless of the broken immigration system, we’re here to stay.

My first reaction after listening to today’s story was that West Liberty sounds like an oasis at a time when anti-immigrant laws – the toughest of which were just passed in Alabama – have become the “in” thing to do.

I know there are Latinos pretty much anywhere in the United States, but prior to listening to this story, I had no idea they were in Iowa, and much less that many of them have been there for generations. In fact, the first Latino immigrants arrived in the 1930s to work in the town’s turkey plant (I guess little has changed since then) and apparently many never left.

My favorite character in the story was the mayor, Chad Thomas, who moved to West Liberty 11 years ago because of its diversity AND… dual language school which is in its 14th year.

“A big factor for us since we were thinking about kids was the dual language school program, so the thought of our children being able to go through the school system and come out speaking Spanish relatively fluently,” Thomas gave as an explanation. If only more people could be open enough to the benefits of bilingualism, dual language programs would be the norm around the country.

On another note, I was introduced to professor Rubén G. Rumbaut a sociologist who’s been studying children of immigrants since the 1990s. I think I might have heard his name before, but it reminded me that this is someone I’d really like to read more about because his research sounds invaluable to someone like me who is raising children of immigrants.

“To be bicultural, to be bilingual, means to feel comfortable in two cultural worlds, to feel comfortable and proficient in two languages,” Rumbaut said, describing exactly what I, and many of you who read this blog, can identify with easily.

In the next few days we plan to bring you previews of some of the other stories in NPR’s series and hopefully an exclusive interview with Claudio Sanchez, the station’s education correspondent who spent some time in Coral Way Elementary School in Miami, the nation’s oldest bilingual immersion program in the country.

{© SpanglishBaby Media}

I recently found out that Latino children are 60 percent more at risk than white children to have asthma attacks. I also found out that Latinos are three times as likely as whites to die from asthma. (If you’d like to know why, please check out this article). And, I freaked out because my own daughter, Vanessa, was diagnosed with asthma almost two years ago!

Were you aware of these numbers? I wasn’t and I felt guilty. But I’ve decided to turn that guilt into action by doing what I’ve always done best: informing people. That’s always been one of my favorite parts about being a journalist because I truly believe that information is power.

Today I’ll start with a very personal story.

Two years ago this summer, when I was very pregnant with my second child, Vanessa — who was almost three at the time — wasn’t able to get over a chest cold. Or at least I thought that’s what it was. We visited her pediatrician at least every two weeks, while he tried to figure out what was going on. Mainly, she had a debilitating cough that wouldn’t go away. The worst part was that it usually kept her — and her father and a very pregnant me — awake at night. I felt like I was going out of my mind.

My husband kind of called it early on when he said the words I’d been dreading to hear since she was born: “Maybe it’s asthma.”

As a child who grew up with asthma until he was a teenager, my husband is pretty aware of what this invasive illness looks and sounds like. But I didn’t want to hear any it. I knew asthma could be hereditary and I was hoping that, because my daughter was almost three, she’d no longer be at risk.

I’ll never forget how I finally broke down a few weeks before my son was born. None of the pediatrician’s treatments were making a difference and we found ourselves back in his office one more time. (In all fairness, pediatric asthma is very difficult to diagnose). Because it was a last minute appointment, we had to be seen by a physician’s assistant. Tired of having to explain my daughter’s symptoms to yet one more person (and with my hormones raging thanks to the impending birth of my son), I lost it and demanded that something be done. Now.

The PA looked at me like I had lost my mind — and she was probably right — but I couldn’t bear to see my sweet girl go through another sleepless night due to a persistent cough that wouldn’t go away no matter what we had tried til then. I stormed out of the doctor’s office trying to make sure I kept my calm so as not to scare my daughter.

I decided right then and there that we had to get to the bottom of this and thanks to a truly helpful customer service representative at our insurance company, I was able to get an appointment for the next day with an asthma and allergy specialist at our neighborhood hospital.

I will be forever grateful to this doctor because — even though she ended up confirming what we had dreaded: Vanessa has asthma and is allergic to a bunch of environmental triggers — she opted for a very aggressive treatment involving several medicines (like albuterol and budesonide) which I’d never heard of before, and finally got rid of my daughter’s cough. We all went back to sleep and I felt like we were in control again…until the next episode, of course.

I hated having to see my tiny daughter with a nebulizer. I still do.

However, every single day I thank God that she’s never had a full-blown asthma attack like the ones her daddy has described from his childhood years. They sound terrifying and I hope we never have to go through them.

So, you see, accepting an invitation to be part of the Moms Clean Air Force is a personal thing for me.

I hope you join us in the fight to make sure the EPA continues to ensure we can all breath the cleanest air possible.

Photo credit: ProgressOhio

On Monday, I sat down with my 2 boys and read them a copy of “Free at Last! The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.” I read to them about the bus boycotts and the March on Washington. I tried to explain to my 5-and almost 7-year-old boys that sometimes people are so uncomfortable with a group of people that they will do anything they can to keep them down.

My 7-year-old said that Martin Luther King, Jr. lived a long time ago and those things were in the past. But I feel like it’s still a current issue. A startling example in my mind is how the powers that be in Arizona are doing everything they can to keep Latinos down.

Last year, the state passed a law giving police the power to ask anyone stopped for any reason to show proof of citizenship. Just like poll taxes and voting tests in the old South, it’s portrayed as a non-discriminatory measure when in fact it’s clearly intended to be used against a specific group. Does anyone really think that the police in Arizona are going to ask a white person in Scottsdale for their green card or passport? When’s the last time you carried “proof of citizenship” when you walked down the street?

Now, the state is threatening to take away 10 percent of state funding from the Tucson Unified School District if it doesn’t shut down its Mexican-American Studies program. That’s $15 million for a school district already facing financial hardship.

The Mexican-American Studies program came under fire last year after Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne (he was the state superintendent of schools at the time) introduced a law that makes it illegal to teach resentment against another race or to have a class that’s specific to one race or ethnicity.

It wouldn’t be so offensive if it affected other ethnic studies classes, but according to the New York Times, no other programs were looked at because no one complained. The only one complaining was Horne and he had the power to force a shut down.

Just like Arizona’s immigration law, I don’t know how this can be called anything but racist. First you tell kids that they have to watch out because they could be questioned by police just because of the color of their skin. Then you tell them that they can’t learn about their heritage because some people don’t like it.

How do I explain that to my kids? This isn’t in the distant past. It’s happening now and it’s happening in a place my kids love to go.

After SB1070 passed, I took my kids and husband with me to march in the May Day Rally in downtown Los Angeles. My kids were too little to understand that we were protesting an unfair law in the state where their Nana and Papi live. That we care about the rights of all people not just the ones who look like us.

I can talk all I want about Arizona, but the fact is, I don’t live there anymore. So I called my friend Olivia, who is Mexican-American and a champion for education in the state, to get her opinion on what is going on there. She had such a different take in on the issue, I was completely taken aback.

Yes, it’s bad that they are cutting the program, she said, but TUSD has already cut art and PE programs. If Mexican-American Studies program continues to be taught, the district could lose $15 million. It’s a disproportionate amount of money to what the program costs, and it’s unfair, but that amount of money is significant.

She said the education issues they have to deal with are so monumental, that frankly, the Mexican-American studies program is at the bottom of the heap.

Arizona is ranked 49^th (above only Arkansas) in spending per child on education. She’s not so much concerned with the statement that getting rid of ethnic studies makes as she is with making sure that kids have basic math and reading skills.

And, of course, it’s not just this issue that has the country looking at Arizona. SB1070 made international news. Immigration is a heated debate, but now so is gun control after Jared Loughner shot and killed 6 people, including a 9-year-old girl, and injured 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Arizona has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country, a fact that has been reported over and over on the evening news.

Olivia said she doesn’t want the program cut, but she asked the question, Is it worth $15 million to keep it?

In her view, the way to fight these things is to give kids a good education at school. Teach them about their culture at home, she said. Raise them to be good, intelligent citizens who will vote against the kind of regime that is destroying her state.

I see her point, but I still despair that an underfunded school district would be forced to make that choice. Kids need math and reading skills, but they also need to learn about history, society, and the world we live in, both good and bad. I want our kids to understand that our country can do amazing things, but that we need to be vigilant to make sure the rights of all people are respected.

Now, that is something I can tell my kids.

Yvonne Condes is a journalist by trade and a blogger by night. At YvonneInLA she writes about life in Los Angeles with her two adorable boys, food and restaurants, a little bit of politics, and Latino issues. She loves creating gluten-free recipes, running marathons, and traveling. When she’s not blogging at YvonneInLA, she’s writing for Yahoo! Motherboard, CBS Local Los Angeles, Storitz.com, and MomsLA.com, where she is a founder.

Photo courtesy: Susan O. Stephan

Our cat died not too long ago.  My children had both been fond of her, and were very aware of her absence.  My two and a half year old had a lot of questions for me as to where our pet had gone, and I found myself addressing the topic of death with him.  Of course I adapted my explanation for his age and maturity level, explaining that our cat, Amiga was in heaven and that she was happy there playing and eating all of the treats she loved when alive.  He seemed satisfied with my answer, but I know that as my children grow, this difficult topic will need to be addressed again in greater detail.

Death is never an easy subject to address, and yet I think that I was more uncomfortable with the subject than my son was.  I think that a lot can be learned by looking at other cultures’ beliefs and traditions surrounding death. I plan on confronting my own fears on the subject this year by becoming involved with some of the many cultural celebrations commemorating the Day of the Dead.  Perhaps by addressing the topic of death and gaining a different perspective, I’ll be more comfortable addressing this difficult subject with my own children.

Image courtesy of http://VivaGreetings.com

The Mexican holiday of the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, provides a less scary look at death.  The celebration coincides with the Catholic feast days of All Saints’ Day (November 1^st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2^nd).  Through the holidays’ celebrations, death moves from being something to be feared, but rather a natural part of the cycle of life.  The deceased are remembered and honored with traditions surrounding the holiday including the building of altars to honor the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds and favorite foods and beverages of the dearly departed.  Families get together either at home or at the cemetery to remember and pay respect to their departed loved ones.

Recently I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Peter Perez who, as a talented artist himself, has made it his mission to bring the Day of the Dead celebrations to communities throughout the United States and the World.  He has been instrumental in organizing festivals throughout California, Vermont, even traveling to Australia where he gave lectures and demonstrations on the topic.  As a result of his efforts, there will be festivities in two cities in Australia and even one in New Zealand this year as well.  The activities involve people of all ages and backgrounds.  People of all ethnicity are given the opportunity to learn about the Day of the Dead and to celebrate it together.  Since we all die, the Day of the Dead celebration can unite people so as to learn, experience culture, and pay homage to our departed loved ones.

Since I am raising my sons to speak Spanish, I believe that it is also essential to expose them to the culture of the language that they are learning.  The Day of the Dead provides many opportunities to increase our children’s language and cultural awareness.  Day of the Dead celebrations are rich in tradition and culture.  Many of the community celebrations include art exhibitions, arts and crafts activities for both children and adults, historical lecture presentations, and interactive activities for families.  These community celebrations are wonderful at building bridges of cultural understanding between different groups and peoples.

If you are unable to find a Day of the Dead celebration, it is still possible to celebrate this holiday with your children.  You could construct a private altar in your own home honoring a deceased loved one or even a beloved family pet.  Take time to talk about the person, to remember them.  Try making sugar skulls or cooking pan de muerto with your children.  Fortunately in today’s computer age, there are a lot of resources on the internet that can lead you through the steps.  I plan to make these sugar skulls with my own children.

Establishing traditions around holidays with your children is a great way to create memories. By celebrating the Day of the Dead, whether it be at a community celebration or in your own home, you and your children will experience culture, have fun, and take time to remember deceased loved ones.  In the words of Peter Perez, “Sharing our family histories and traditions enriches our lives and understanding of each other. The ancient pre-Columbian cultures believed that we die three times…Once when the body ceases to function, twice when the spirit leaves the body, and the final and most tragic death is when we are forgotten.”

Day of the Dead Celebrations in Southern California

Santa Ana, CA: http://www.nochedealtares.org/

Hollywood, CA: http://www.ladayofthedead.com/

Do you know of any Day of the Dead celebrations in your area you can share with us?